Special Cases
by FrogHermitJiraiya
Summary: Back from Hiatus! AU. Companion fic to IchaIcha: Love Story, in which the former members of Team Takeshi face adult responsibilities. Kotori is now the jounin leader of her own cell, one that promises to be just as interesting as her old group.
1. Out of the Frying Pan

**1 Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire**  
_Promotion and its Bittersweet Rewards_

"Morning, everyone!" In the sudden silence that followed this greeting, all ears could plainly hear the footsteps of the older woman as she crossed the classroom. Pausing in front of the teacher's desk, she perched on its edge and gazed over her students with a calm smile. "Today is the day you've all been waiting for – your graduation exams." The instructor took a sip from her coffee cup and glanced down at her clipboard for a moment before looking back up again. "But, before we get into that, I have some news for you!"

A click as the coffee cup was placed on the desk, and a rustle as the clipboard came to rest next to it. "This may come as a shock to some of you, but I've been promoted. That means a few things to all of us. First, if there's hope for me, there's hope for any of you – even you rejects of nature in the back row – yes, I'm looking at you. Second of all, this is the last graduation exam I'll be overseeing at this Academy. After this exam is over, I'll be moving on and most of you will never have to sit through one of my lectures again." Nervous mutters and whispers broke out among the students, soon to be silenced by an ice-blue glare from the instructor. "Stop your cheering. Notice I said 'most of you'... three of you will wind up becoming my personal trainees. And for the lucky three – don't think you'll have it any easier. You all should know I expect the best from my students, and that won't change once you're under my direct command." Savoring the fear visible on the face of each genin, she then favored them with a brilliant grin. "No pressure at all. Do your best!"

Hours later, after the conclusion of the exams and the requisite graduation ceremonies, the instructor made her way back to the faculty office and began the process of clearing out the small space that had been allotted to her. She placed the assorted texts and personal items into a duffel that she'd brought along for this purpose, then turned her attention to the in- and out-boxes that bore her name on a hastily scrawled label: "Yamataki Kotori." _They never got around to changing it,_ she mused with a sad smile as she peeled the tape off of the tray and put it in amongst the other items in her duffel. She then noticed that the inbox wasn't empty; a manila envelope bearing the seal of the Hokage lay there amongst the dust, and Kotori carefully checked it to make sure it hadn't been tampered with.

She opened the envelope and slid the contents out onto her desk, noticing that one of the folded slips of paper was official correspondence stationery from the Cloud Village's leader, the Yondaime Raikage and one of her personal friends. "Dear Kotori," she read aloud, "I hope this letter finds you well. If I remember correctly, you should be wrapping up a class right about now and oh! That reminds me – congratulations on your promotion. I can only hope that attaining the rank of jounin is everything you hoped it would be, and I know that your father would be very proud. There's nothing special to talk about here in Cloud, other than that Kouhei sends his love and best wishes also. (I swear he almost fell over when he found out that you were selected.) The other one is doing j­ust fine as well, but it's getting harder and harder to keep him safe. I have a feeling that something is going to happen with him very soon – if you know what I mean, and you should – so be warned. Give a hug to Tomoe for me, and warm regards to the rest of the family. Take care, Taiki."

A frown briefly crossed Kotori's face as she read through this note, but she carefully pushed her emotions aside as she stashed the first note and brought up the second. It was briefer than the first, but carried just as much impact. "Kotori-san, the Hokage has requested your presence for a brief discussion at your earliest possible convenience." She squinted as she made out an addition to the message, added in tiny print that she recognized as belonging to her other former teammate, Naeko: "It's nothing serious, don't worry."

"Yeah, right," Kotori muttered, returning the second note to the envelope and placing the whole package into her duffel. She turned and would have walked out of the faculty office had a second person not stood in her way, and she backed up with a sheepish grin. "You caught me by surprise, Iruka."

"Should I mark it on the calendar?" Iruka looked past Kotori to the now-empty desk and sighed. "It's going to be strange without you here, that's for sure."

"You'll get used to it. Besides, you managed to get along just fine before I showed up, didn't you?" When this comment failed to assure, she made a face and grumbled, "Selfish man. You get to see me every day at home, so why should this change anything?"

This at least merited a snort and the muttered comment, "But we met here, and so many other things happened..."

Kotori moved to his side and gave his arm a comforting squeeze. "It's a raise in pay and status – don't tell me you're envious?"

A full laugh this time. "Not at all. I only have to teach them – you now have to field test them. With your luck, you'll wind up with the next Naruto in your cell!"

"Hush, you. Speaking of, I have to stop by his office and have a chat with him, so I may be a bit late. It's nothing serious, or so I heard." Shouldering her duffel, Kotori stretched up on her tiptoes and gave Iruka a light kiss on the cheek before breezing out of the faculty room.

-------

Naeko was the first person Kotori talked to upon entering the Hokage Tower that day. Her former teammate had gone into semi-retirement from her regular duties once she had started a family, and the girl whom Morino Ibiki had called "flakier than a box of breakfast cereal" was now a respected businesswoman and village advisor whom Kotori was glad to have as a friend. Naeko had set up a desk not far from the Hokage's office where she could intercept any and all official correspondence and visitors and thus screen them according to level of importance, as well as take orders from inside the office. She was busy writing a letter on an antiquated typewriter when Kotori walked up, but she paused briefly in her work to greet her colleague with a smile. "I see this life agrees with you," Kotori said. "Passive surveillance under an official disguise so that no one can accuse you of being nosy, eh?"

You read me like a book, Tori-chan," Naeko murmured, typing out the last few words of the letter and pulling it out from the machine to give it one last look-over. Sensing the pointed look of disgust this use of a nickname earned her, the dark-haired woman grinned. "Or should I say Kotori-san, the newest member of Konoha's jounin elite? I forget, you outrank me now."

"That's right. I'll forgive you if you bow down and kiss my feet."

Naeko glanced up and made a teasing face to match Kotori's own. "I think _he _might have something to say about that," she commented, pointing towards the door to the Hokage's office.

"Of course, Mrs. Hokage-sama," retorted Kotori, shaking her head a little bit. "Is he in? I came as soon as I got the message."

"He sure is. Just got in about five minutes ago from a lunch break, so your timing is perfect."

Kotori thanked Naeko for the information and headed to the door, knocking twice to announce her presence before being allowed to enter. Had she turned around, she would have noticed the pitying glance sent her way by her friend, but as is she was too worried to think about such things as she walked through the doorway. Closing the door behind her, she bowed deeply in respect. "Reporting as requested, Hokage-sama."

The figure at the desk looked up from a bit of afternoon reading and waved in recognition. "Relax, Kotori-san. It's just me." The white robe of office seemed at odds with its wearer's usual garb of orange and black, but the Sixth Hokage wore it with the easy satisfaction of having attained a long-sought goal. "Not like anyone who knows me calls me by my title anyway. Especially not her..." Naruto aimed a look at the door that Kotori could only guess was directed outward at the deskbound Naeko. "So why should you? We're on the same page, at least in this office."

Kotori grinned uneasily and nodded. "Point taken, Naruto-san. If I might ask, though, why did you call me here?"

"Oh, that." A brief shuffling of papers as Naruto searched for something on his desk. It took him a moment, but he eventually came up with three papers that Kotori recognized as dossiers for three of the village's newest graduates. "I promoted you not only because I thought you deserved it, but also to be in a position to tackle a problem that's come to my attention. Here, take these." Kotori did as asked and grimaced when she read the names. "I see you know them. To make a long story short, they'll be your subordinates as of tomorrow, so read up!"

"Not doubting your judgment, but may I once again ask you why? These three were some of my worst students at the Academy, and two of them barely even passed."

"Look a little closer, Kotori-san, and you'll see why. They're all special cases, especially the girl, what's her name?"

"Shingen. Shikan Shingen, a refugee from Earth Country who on the shyness scale could put even our dear Hinata to shame." Kotori gave the referenced dossier a closer look and then blanched when she came across a line of interest, giving Naruto a shocked stare. "That wallflower's a Jinchuuriki like us? No way!"

"Big surprise, huh? Like I said, a special case. Work with her because you know what it's like growing up with one of these critters inside of you, would you please?"

Kotori raised an eyebrow. "With all due respect, so do you."

"But I have things to do around here. You just got promoted, so you're perfect for it!" Seeing Kotori thus unconvinced, Naruto added, "Just think of it as another thing to put on your record: training a cell under direct assignment from the Hokage! It's not as bad as you think it is."

Kotori had no choice but to sigh and nod in acquiescence. "Thank you for the honor of such a request."

"No problem! That's all I have for you now, but I'll expect reports from time to time to see how you're dealing with your group. Until then..."

"Of course, Hokage-sama." Bowing once more in farewell, Kotori then made good her exit, this time noticing the pitying look from Naeko and choosing not to reply. "Why do I have to take the special cases?" she grumbled to herself as she made her way back towards her home.

-------

_"Karma!"_ hooted Yamataki Takeshi, throwing a victorious fist up in the air when he heard his niece's news. "Oh, I have waited for this day for so long. So long!"

"But you don't understand, Uncle. I've had to deal with all kinds of creeps at the Academy, but Little Miss Shy Girl and the two class weirdos top the list. And now I'm expected to make something serviceable out of them! And stop snickering like that, you're disturbing me."

"I'm so sorry... well, maybe... no, not really," replied Takeshi with an unrepentant smirk as he turned his attention back to the pot of ramen he was currently cooking. "Finally you'll know what it's like!"

"Thanks for your vote of sympathy." Kotori accepted a cup of tea from Ayame, the waitress of the ramen shop and also Takeshi's wife. "Ayame-san, surely you can break him of this madness."

"Well," began Ayame with a thoughtful expression, "you certainly have a knack with the unusual types, considering you've raised so many of them..."

"I - " Kotori began to raise a hand in protest at this, but stopped when she realized she had nothing to contradict it with. "I see your point."

"Face it, the only normal parts of that zoo you call your children are Izumi and Ishii, and even they aren't on the level all the time," Takeshi mused as he poured the now-ready ramen into containers for Kotori to take home. "But I hear nothing but the best about them from their mentor, and they're the top rookies in their graduating group. You must have done something right after all, Kotori, don't give up now. Hell, I survived, so you can too." He loaded the containers onto a tray for Ayame to hand over to Kotori. "See you around, and don't stress out too much, okay?"

Kotori smiled, a tired but genuine smile. "Thank you, Uncle. You too, Ayame-san."

-------

Leaving the tray out on the kitchen counter for her youngest two to eat from when they got back from training with their team, Kotori tossed her duffel into the living room and then straggled up the stairs to her bedroom. Once there, she flopped down face-first on the bed in abstract agitation, paying no heed of the half-clad Iruka selecting a dress shirt out of the bedroom closet. "Something really must be up with you," he observed, looking back over his shoulder at the motionless woman. "I usually get at least a hug when you get home, sometimes more..." When even this failed to get a response, Iruka crossed to sit down on the edge of the bed and gave Kotori a comforting shoulder rub. "Oh, come on. What's wrong?"

"I must have really pissed someone off in a past life to catch all of the crap that I have in this one," was the muffled response, along with a faint murmur of pleasure as the tension in her shoulders unknotted under capable hands. "They weren't your students, but you might remember a group by the names of Shikan Shingen, Sanguine Umi, and Ijidendou Fujo..."

"Oh, you mean the really quiet girl, the prankster, and the medic boy? Sure, I've heard of them."

"They're my new students," Kotori finished, rolling over onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. "Our dear Hokage gave me the assignment because he thinks I can do something for them, but even I don't know if I can. Why couldn't I have gotten someone normal for my first cell, Iruka? Can you tell me that?"

"You've earned his trust, Kotori, and that's hard to do. Take that as a compliment and prove him right." Ruffling Kotori's hair teasingly, Iruka added, "Now get up and get yourself ready. Remember, I made dinner reservations tonight..."

"How could I forget," Kotori muttered, sitting up and smoothing her hair back down. "This'll be the first time I've gone out to someplace nice without the entourage in years!"

"And since we don't know when they'll be getting back, we might just have a few hours of alone time."

"In that case, I'll hurry up and get changed." Tilting her face to accept a brief, consoling kiss, Kotori then rose from the bed and went to choose what she would wear out to dinner that night.

-------

"Hey, I've got some news for you!" Sanguine Umi waved to his two compatriots from where he sat at a choice picnic table not far from the dormitory they occupied. The two, a startlingly white-haired girl and brown-haired boy, scurried over and sat down opposite Umi with their dinner trays, then leaned forward curiously to see what he had to say. "I've found out who our sensei is going to be."

"Really?" the second boy murmured. "I've heard some horror stories about the jounin elite, so I wonder who they've given us."

"I wouldn't take this so lightly, Fujo-kun. I overheard this when I was going to the Ichiraku to get dinner tonight, and what's more I heard it from the mouth of the woman herself."

"Our teacher's a woman?" the third member of the group wondered, musing, "There aren't too many female jounin on training duty..."

"Think about it, dear Shingen. Who just got promoted and made a big deal out of telling the class today before our exams?" Umi savored the low groan of terror from Fujo and fear turning Shingen pale. "That's right, our mentor is none other than Kitty-sama herself!"

"You mean Kotori-sensei?" Shingen shivered. "She called us rejects of nature!"

Fujo smiled comfortingly at the girl and said, "Don't take anything she says too personally, Shi-chan. She has to play the hardass to get people to take her seriously... wouldn't you say so?"

"Oh, definitely," Umi agreed, grinning fiercely. "Otherwise you'd say she's all boobs and no brain. An unfortunate perception, but a true one..."

"Either way, it should be interesting," reasoned Fujo. "I think we can survive this."


	2. Common Misperceptions

**2 Common Misperceptions**  
_The First Meeting of Team Kotori._

"All right, go ahead and break for lunch. You'll be meeting your mentors afterwards, so make sure you're back on time!"

At these words, the twenty-one students that had passed the Academy exams spilled from the classroom in a colorful mass of noise and motion, some cheering their team assignments and others ruing the choices of their superiors. "Right once again, Umi-kun," Fujo said as he and the other two retrieved their lunches and found a place to sit on the grass outside the Academy. "But how did you know they'd put us on the same team?"

"Because no one else wants us," the redhead answered, cracking the top open on a can of fruit juice. "We're the reject, the refugee, and the misfit – who'd want any of us in their cell?"

Shingen's green eyes widened in alarm, and she gave Umi a worried look. "You don't really think that, do you?"

"Of course I do. I wouldn't say so if I didn't."

"Don't you think you're being a little bit pessimistic?" wondered Fujo, sighing. "There has to be another reason altogether."

"Well, let me know when you find it," replied Umi with a shrug. "Where I come from in the Wave Country, we're used to looking for the worst in everything because we know the best will always be taken away from us. I know Tazuna-san risked so much to bring us hope with that bridge, and the part Konoha played in it will never be forgotten, but I can't help thinking that if my land doesn't build itself up into something strong, it'll just be torn back down again." Giving each of his teammates an assessing look with gray eyes, Umi concluded, "So forgive me for being pessimistic, but I challenge fate or either of you to prove me wrong."

"Gods, you can be so depressing sometimes." Fujo took a bite of his rice cake and chewed, dark blue gaze unreadable for the moment. "I'm just going to take this and run with it, no matter where it leads."

"But did you think Kotori-sensei really meant it when she called us rejects?" ventured Shingen. "It kinda makes me wonder how she'll treat us now..."

"Remember what we told you yesterday?" Umi's grin of earlier now returned, and Shingen could not help smiling also. "Don't take her seriously. Anyone who's that stacked..."

"She wasn't that bad of an instructor, though -" began Shingen, but Umi cut her off.

"That was in the classroom. I think we'll be doing as much teaching as learning here," insisted Umi, ignoring the skeptical looks given by his teammates. "It'll be fun!"

"If you say so..." muttered Fujo, but chose not to say anything further.

-------

"Shikan Shingen, Sanguine Umi, Ijidendou Fujo – come with me!" Every student fell into immediate, cold silence at that familiar commanding snap from the corridor, feeling secret pity for the three it summoned but not daring to move a muscle to act.

"Guess it's time," Umi whispered to the other two, nudging Shingen from the fearful daze that had paralyzed her upon first hearing her name called. "Remember, she's only playing tough." Fujo sighed upon hearing this, but at the same time knew that this kind of motivation was needed to get Shingen to act. The three then made their way down from their perch in the back row of seats, crossed the classroom under the scrutiny of their peers, and went into the corridor. When Umi closed the door loudly behind them, Shingen twitched in fright but still did not speak. Glancing around, they at first thought the corridor to be empty and the summoning voice a strange trick until a figure faded into view by one of the windows, her back turned to them.

"Good afternoon," Kotori said, turning to face the trio with a calm smile. "And don't worry, I won't eat you. I've already had my lunch, and despite any rumors you may have heard, human flesh isn't to my taste." Pale blue eyes flicked from one student to the next in silent assessment. "I won't ask for introductions, as I think you all know each other pretty well from our time in the classroom. I would, however, like to dispel any misperceptions you may have about me, so that we can start with complete understanding of where I'm coming from and what I expect of you. Walk with me."

"Who is this woman, and what has she done with Kitty-sama?" Umi whispered to the others as they fell in step with the jounin and began their walk from the Academy.

"What did you expect, a fire-breathing demon?" Fujo grumbled back.

"But she seems almost... normal," complained the other boy. "I was expecting her to start giving us crap right from the get-go, and this isn't like her."

"This is nice, though," Shingen added. "Please don't make her mad."

"All right, silence in the peanut gallery," came the admonition from above, intimidating still in spite of the fact that their instructor was a scant two inches taller than Fujo, the tallest of the three. "First lesson: my hearing is sharper than you think. You may speak your mind around me, but be prepared to defend what you say. Fair?" Mumbled agreement from the genin, and the older woman nodded. "In answer to your question, Umi, I am still the same person you knew from your classroom days, but you're seeing a different side of me now. Different scenarios as you know call for different tools, and you may see yet another side or two that you never expected, a few of them that you may pray to your god of choice that you never do see. One of them is the fire-breathing demon you mentioned before."

During this speech, Kotori's serene expression did not budge an inch, and the three traded alarmed looks. "I was only kidding," Umi muttered. "I didn't think she'd take me seriously..."

"Of course, I've never seen that side of me either, but it's safe to say there'd be nothing left standing in this area if she got loose." Kotori shrugged dismissively as she led the group out the door of the Academy and back into the village. "But that's another story for another day. I don't want to scare you all too much just yet."

-------

Together the quartet wandered the streets of the village, the genin trailing behind their mentor and listening quietly as she spoke, occasionally stopping when she chose to emphasize a certain point. "I know from working with you at the Academy that you're a diverse bunch. Umi – you came here early on from the Wave Country in the hopes of learning skills to take back home and defend your people with. Is that why you refuse to wear the mark of Konoha, even though you graduated here?"

Umi gulped in a dry throat and glanced down at the band of fabric tied around his right arm, the metal plate affixed to it a smooth blank, and then looked back up at Kotori. "That's right. Who knows, maybe I can raise our own village so that we won't have to depend on other shinobi to protect us."

Kotori nodded in acknowledgment. "A noble goal, but I'll leave it up to you as to whether you really want to pursue it. Not all goals are worth following... Fujo, you're the only one in this group that has lived their whole life here, coming from a family of medics and the first in their number to pursue this path. That's brave, but your true talents remain to be seen." There was silence for a few minutes, and finally she turned her attention to Shingen.

"And that leaves us with you, Shingen. You came to us around six years ago from Earth Country, beaten and broken. Though your physical wounds have healed, we still have yet to cure the ills of your heart and mind..." The quartet in their wanderings had made their way to a practice field that they all knew well, and it was in front of a stone tablet that Kotori finally stopped and turned to face her students. "But we'll do what we can. Trust me, trust your teammates, and we'll go far. Do you all know what this place is?"

Fujo was the first to speak. "It's the memorial to all of the fallen heroes of Konoha. Many of them were added when the Nine-Tailed Fox nearly destroyed the village, right?"

"I see one of us was paying attention in history class," muttered Kotori with a derisive snort. "But yes, you're right. Now I know that each of you has your own unique difficulties to handle, and I want you to know that I'm not as different from you as you'd like to think. It was only a few days before the Fox came to visit that I was born into a small clan by the name of Yamataki, and only a few days after I was born my father died defending this village." She stepped aside and pointed to one of the names. "That's him right there, Yamataki Katsuo. He married a woman from Kirigakure and I was their only child. Not long after he died, I was taken from my mother by members of her former village for their own purposes, and she went into hiding. Everything that happened to me afterward, from my cold upbringing and merciless training to being chosen as the human vessel for the Two-Tailed Cat, I blamed on her because I thought she'd refused to do anything about it." During this speech, Kotori had removed the olive-green flak vest special to Konoha and set it aside, then peeled away the fabric covering hands and arms to reveal the multitudes of small scars as well as the distinctive claw-marks on her left shoulder. "The lesson there is never to judge until you've heard all sides of the story."

"Another lesson that you should learn now is that even though you think you know someone, odds are you will never learn their true self. I was permitted by my mentor to return here under a memory block, supposedly to reunite with my family and village but actually to gather information." Noting the looks of shock this got, Kotori frowned. "Don't be stupid, it's more common than you think. To make a long story short, she tracked me down when I was eighteen and tried to collect what I'd learned, putting my life and that of my family in danger. After learning what she did to me, I had no choice but to kill her, even though I nearly died in the process."

Giving this time to sink in, Kotori re-donned her sleeves, gloves, and vest. "My final words of wisdom for today would be these – you may have graduated from the Academy, but your learning is far from done. Walk your path with care that you don't fall prey to its many dangers, but also remember your sense of wonder. You may be shinobi, but you are ultimately human, and no amount of training can erase that." Clapping her hands together in conclusion, she grinned and said, "There, speech over. Our real training begins tomorrow with a nice little survival exercise, so bring what equipment you deem necessary and meet me here at eleven a.m. Dismissed!" Tossing off a mock-salute to the three, Kotori then disappeared as suddenly as she had first come.


	3. A Seemingly Simple Task

**3 A Seemingly Simple Task**  
_Find the Scroll, Don't Cross the Lines, and Don't Die. Easy!_

Dinner, usually a busy, laughter and talk-filled time in Kotori's home, was almost eerily silent that evening as the mistress of the home lurked over her food, alternating bites of rice or fish with periods of deep thought or furious scribbling on a pile of scratch paper kept close to hand and ignoring the curious or concerned looks given her by the other three family members present. Izumi, a fresh-faced girl in her early teens, shot her twin a nervous glance as their mother began to snicker to herself, outlining a particularly devious scheme on her paper. "Is it just me, or is Mom acting kinda scary tonight?"

Ishii sighed, a strand of reddish-brown hair fluttering away from his face. "If you mean scarier than usual, I'd say yes."

Noticing the commentary traded by his offspring, Iruka lightly tapped on the table to get Kotori's attention. "Dear, I thought we'd agreed not to bring work to the table when the family's here. Unless, of course, you'd be willing to share whatever unnerving plan you're cooking up..."

Kotori put her pencil down with a satisfied smile. "I'm all done, don't worry – I just had to finalize the scenario I'll put my team through tomorrow."

"You mean, to see if they'll have to go back to the Academy?" Izumi asked, and Kotori nodded. "Neat. What's it going to be like?"

"I'm not going to tell you yet – hey!" Scowling at Iruka, Kotori snatched at the paper he'd stolen and now subjected to intense examination. "Give that back."

He waved her off until he'd finished reading, and then handed the paper back. "That's nastier than you need to be. Why can't you do something simple, like having them steal bells off of you?"

Kotori rolled her eyes. "That's been done and overdone. I needed something fresh, something unexpected to shake them up and keep them on their toes!"

"So you're essentially going to send them on an overnight snipe hunt in one of the training forests that you've prepared for them with wild animals, booby traps, a boundary that they can't cross, and then you making things difficult from time to time," Iruka summarized, ignoring the continued scowl from Kotori. "Someone could get hurt, you do know that."

"Sounds fun," said Ishii, grinning in approval. "Can I help?"

"No," replied both parents in unison, causing the youth to shrink back in fear. "I don't want anything that could go wrong to be pinned on anyone else but me," added Kotori. "And besides, life itself is dangerous. I won't let anyone I know live in fear of what life might throw at them, and that's one of the points of this exercise. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take care of a few things..."

-------

"All right, it's ten 'til. Where is she?" grumbled Umi. "We all know that she has a nasty habit of showing up early and eavesdropping, then making a dramatic entrance along with some snarky comment about whatever we were talking about..."

"But at least she's not perpetually late like some of the others I've heard about," Fujo replied, closing his eyes for a moment and extending his senses. "But this time I've got nothing. What about you, Shingen? This is more your skill."

Blushing a bit at this compliment, Shingen then fell completely still, reaching out with every fiber. After a minute of intense concentration, she snapped out of her trance with a regretful head-shake. "I'm sorry, I don't know. There's something, but it doesn't feel like a person..."

"Maybe she's just running late, then." Umi sighed and put his pack down, sinking to a crouch and leaning against one of the training posts. "I wouldn't be surprised if something came up at home and she decided to make us wait –_ouch!_" The boy fell to the dirt in surprise, rubbing his head from the sting of a small rock thrown hard against his cranium.

"I'd never do that," came a voice from directly above him, and all three looked up to see Kotori perched on top of the post, hefting another rock and looking amused. "Maybe you can get away with poor punctuality in your early age, but someone of my level has to be pretty special to pull it off. And as anyone who has worked with him could tell you, Pervert-san is definitely... special." When this reference failed to register, Kotori blinked and clarified, "Or, as you would know him, Kakashi-san. But that's not important..." With fluid ease she hopped down from the post to stand in front of the trio. "I do hope you're ready, because you won't get another chance at this. Follow me."

-------

Half an hour later, the group stood at the entrance to one of the village's many gated training areas. While this one was neither as large nor challenging as some of the more infamous training grounds, the small patch of forest still loomed with unpleasant possibilities to the younger three. Pulling a key from a ring on her waist, Kotori unlocked the gate and walked through, waving her students after her. "I'm sure you may have heard of the test that a mentor may put their cell through to determine whether they are fit to continue with training. It's usually simple, like trying to steal something from the test-giver, but I think you three can stand up to something a little bit different."

"Wonderful," Umi grumbled to Fujo, and the two looked back at Shingen, who'd fallen even quieter than usual. "And that's a bad sign too. She's almost shaking with fear."

"Take this as a vote of confidence," Kotori interjected, giving the three a stern look. "And I hope my confidence isn't misplaced. Now listen up, because I'm only going to explain this once." Once silence had been achieved, she cleared her throat and continued. "Treat this as a mission, if you will, even if it's only practice. Your goal is to search this forest and find a scroll that I've placed somewhere within its bounds, and you'll have from noon today until noon tomorrow to do so. Sounds pretty easy, right?" Nods from the three, and Kotori grinned. "Now here are the rules. This is still a fairly large patch of land, so I've marked off a half-mile area for you to work with. You'll be able to see this boundary during the day as being marked with red flags like this one." She held up a strip of cloth for them to see, then put it back into her waist pouch. "I've also set it so that it'll start glowing when it senses your chakra approaching, a simple enough trick. The thing is, you aren't allowed to cross it for any reason. If I find out that you've crossed the line, you'll fail as a team and be sent back to the Academy for remedial work."

Ignoring the gasps and glances this brought, Kotori went on with her explanation. "The scroll that you're looking for looks kinda like this one." From the same waist pouch came a small scroll, white with yellow borders on either end. "Work together and this should be a walk in the park, but if you don't... to put it this way, you won't be alone in this forest. All I can tell you is to watch your back, because if you're incapacitated, you'll fail as a team - "

"... and be sent back to the Academy for remedial work," finished the trio in unison with their mentor.

"I see you're getting the idea. Of course, the third ground for failure is if you somehow fail to retrieve the scroll, but we won't go there." Glancing at a pocketwatch, Kotori nodded. "Right on schedule. Any questions before we start?" One could hear a faint breeze whistling through the branches of the forest in the silence that followed this, and the jounin sighed. "Going once, going twice..."

"I don't know if you can answer this, but I guess I'll ask anyway," Fujo began. "Just what kind of enemies will we be facing, sensei?"

"You'll just have to find out for yourself." Something vaguely feline and predatory showed in Kotori's grin this time, causing chills to run through the blood of even the normally calm Fujo. "You know, I think I'll let you all have a few minutes extra to get to work. Just remember the rules, and I'll hopefully see you at noon tomorrow." Kotori tossed the scroll up into the air once, tracking its path contemplatively, then caught it in her hand again. "Good luck!" With those words she was gone, and the last sound they heard of her passage was the gate swinging closed and being locked with a hollow click.

-------

"Lightning Technique: Grounding Charge Shock!" _Thud-thud-thud..._ Three shuriken slammed into the ground in quick succession, releasing an electric charge where they landed that would be strong enough to daze anyone standing nearby. The occupant of this space just barely had time to leap aside, skidding to a halt and considering his next move. "You're faster than you were a year ago, Shinya, but not nearly fast enough." The speaker, a pale-haired young man in his mid-twenties, then flicked through a series of hand seals and then slammed his palms to the dirt. "Earth Stun!" The ground rippled under the impact of his glove-encased hands, tracing a path towards the fatigued and trembling youth and then sending him flying when it touched his feet, leaving a faint smell of discharged current.

Shinya fell to the ground with a grunt of pain, feeling a numbness spreading through his extremities as a result of the powerful shock he'd received. Flicking a strand of sweat-streaked night-black hair away from his face, he forced himself back to his feet and into a defensive stance. Drawing a quick bead on his opponent's trajectory, he focused a portion of his chakra and then breathed it loose into a massive, incinerating fireball, praying that this would have at least some effect. When at last the smoke cleared, dread filled him when he realized that the space where the other man had stood was now entirely empty.

"Nice try, but not good enough!" The voice came from right behind him, and unconsciously Shinya turned to track its source. That was his mistake, though, as a hand slammed hard into his chest and delivered yet another burst of electric charge. The youth felt his heart stammer in its rhythm and he once again fell to the dirt, coughing up a spray of blood. "You're still learning, Shinya. I don't know if I should continue to be patient with you, or instead be disappointed."

"But you're using that damn eye of yours, Kou-san," Shinya gasped, glaring up at his opponent's mismatched eyes – one pale blue, the other an eerie red. "The Sharingan – how am I supposed to be able to keep up with that?"

"It's been done before. I suggest you figure it out, because this eye of mine will be the least of your worries if you ever make it to the outside world." Kouhei, as the older male was fully named, gave Shinya one last disdainful look. "Now get up. I know you've got more fight in you."

Shinya staggered to his feet, head swimming. "But... how can I counter... something that knows what I'll do... before I do it? You're cruel, Kou..."

"And you think the real world isn't? You've been sheltered from day one here in Kumogakure, although gods know why. With me, you've been lucky to escape with a few bumps and bruises, occasionally a broken bone or two. You think an enemy will be so kind?" It seemed now that even Kouhei's words carried an echo, and Shinya stepped back in confusion. "I'll let you go today if you can land one solid hit, but not until then."

_It looks like he's going to throw a punch with his right fist,_ thought the boy in eerie detachment, throwing his own arm up to block even as he wondered how he knew to do so. _He'll then break contact, shift back a step, then kick high – _Dropping to his haunches, Shinya lashed out at Kouhei's one supporting leg and heard something crunch as he hit, knocking his opponent to the ground. "Does that count as a hit, Kou-san?"

"Yes, I believe it does. I guess something finally clicked in that foggy brain of yours," grumbled Kouhei as he probed the area of impact to get a sense of the damage. "It looks like you've managed to injure me, too! Just a minor fracture, nothing that a medic can't fix..." He then noticed the younger man waver and stumble, and in spite of his own pain he lurched up to support the boy before he could fall. "Oh, snap out of it. I know I didn't work you that hard." Shinya groggily looked up at Kouhei and tried to speak, but was suddenly too tired to manage words. Kouhei then went pale when he noticed that both of Shinya's eyes now flared as red as his one, even if only for a moment before fading back to their original color as the youth collapsed senselessly. "What the hell? Someone's got some explaining to do..." Kouhei muttered, hoisting Shinya up over his shoulder in a clumsy carry before limping away from the training ground.


	4. A Night in the Woods

**4 A Night in the Woods**  
_Team Kotori Gets More Than It Bargained For._

"So you're sure there's nothing?" Fujo asked as the three sat together in a camp they'd set up in the center of the marked area. Shingen had noted the presence of numerous animals, as well as that same strange chakra that she'd sensed earlier.

"I'm sure of it," Shingen stated, chafing her hands together against the nighttime chill and casting uneasy glances out into the darkness. Umi had suggested starting a fire for warmth and light, but Shingen had vetoed that on grounds that it might give away their position. "Something's out there, and I haven't seen the scroll."

"That's all right. We still have some time, so let's catch some rest and think of something then," Umi suggested. "Sound good to you?"

"Take it in shifts. One sleeps, the second watches, and the third goes on patrol." Fujo stood up and dusted the seat of his pants off. "I'll take the first patrol. Umi, you watch, and Shingen, you sleep. When I get back, one of you can switch out with me." The other two nodded in agreement, with Shingen curling up in the grass to take a nap.

Fujo returned one hour later, reporting nothing unusual, then awakening Shingen and letting Umi sleep. Shingen likewise took one hour, and even with her senses on full alert she could not say that she found anything either. Every once in a while she would hear a faint noise, a snap of a twig, rustle of foliage, the faintest footfalls in dirt, or occasionally a low, throaty growl, but when she reached out to see what its chakra identified it as, it didn't register as an animal. _Then again, it's not human either. What is it? It's almost like it doesn't belong in this world..._This question would occupy her mind even as she sat her time on watch over the sleeping Fujo while Umi went on patrol, and she resolved to ask her teammates about it when they were together again.

-------

Dawn was slow to penetrate the forest, obscured as it was by an unusual fog that gave Umi goosebumps as he walked. _And I lived by the sea. I know what fog is like – this isn't from any natural source. _He voiced his suspicions to the others as they took a quick meal break, sitting on a fallen log and eating some ration bars that Fujo had brought along. "It's a common enough technique," the redhead mused, "for someone that lives in a country with lots of natural moisture. I could do it in practice, but I don't like such sneaky tricks. I'd prefer to use the power of the sea."

"It may be sneaky, but it's practical," Fujo commented around a mouthful of food. "And in the end, practicality should always take precedence over ideals. I could think of only one person who would have any reason to use such a technique against us." When Shingen and Umi gave him puzzled looks, he elaborated further, saying, "Kotori-sensei did say that we wouldn't be alone in this exercise, and she never did tell me who our enemies would be. I have a feeling that she's lurking out there somewhere, using the cover of the mist to watch us and judge our reactions."

Umi reflexively ducked, remembering the sting of the rock on his scalp the previous day when he'd brought their mentor out of hiding. When no similar projectile came, he breathed a sigh of relief, but tensed up again when Shingen jumped. "What is it?"

"There it is again," the girl whispered, eyes wide as she searched for the creature whose presence she'd sensed earlier. "That strange chakra! It's been all around us, all night – don't tell me you didn't notice?" Head shakes from the two boys, and Shingen sighed. "Right, that's my specialty. Please watch out when we go searching again, because this isn't an animal."

"So you think it's her?" asked Fujo, raising an eyebrow. "I was right after all."

It was Shingen's turn to shake her head. "No, it couldn't be. It's not an animal, but it isn't a person either! I don't know what it is, but it gives me the creeps... even more than anything else."

"Then we'll just have to be extra careful!" Umi stood up and stretched. "Come on, we don't have that much time left."

-------

Even as time seemed to stand still in the fog-shrouded forest, timepieces in the village as well as the watch Kotori carried on her person marked it as ten o'clock in the morning. _Thank god that this exercise is almost over,_ she thought to herself as she silently moved from one tree to another, tracking the team's progress as they searched through the forest. _And they were quite right if they said they found nothing at all, because that's exactly what there is... and now it's time to give them something and see what they do with it. _Once the three were out of sight and sound, she inched down from her perch and carefully placed the white-and-yellow scroll against the base of the tree where it could be easily seen, and then climbed back up into the boughs to see what the group would do.

"Hey, wait up!" Shingen called to the others. "I think I heard something. Can we double back?" Trusting her instincts and also becoming tired of the as-of-yet fruitless search, Umi and Fujo turned back the way they had come, keeping their eyes peeled for anything that they might have missed. Their path led them right up to the border of the marked area, visible both because of the red flags and the boundary that glowed brilliantly whenever one of them approached. Shingen was the first to spot the scroll resting at the base of one of the forest's many large trees, on the other side of the line. "There it is!" she called back, pointing. "Don't you see it?"

"Yeah, I do," Umi growled, lunging forward. "And it wasn't there the past fifty times we passed this spot! We were set up."

Guessing Umi's intent only a fraction before Shingen did, Fujo reached out and collared his teammate before he could do anything foolish. "And just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm getting the scroll so we can pass this exercise and get it over with," the other boy protested, struggling against Fujo's grip.

Even the normally quiet Shingen bristled at this suggestion, glaring at Umi. "Don't send us back to the Academy. I don't want to face those people again!"

"And that's exactly what you'll do if you cross the line," Fujo added, tightening his fingers. "In case you've forgotten, I had the best grades out of this whole group, and I will not be laughed at because you decided to do something stupid."

"No, Fujo, I haven't forgotten, and I want to go back as much as you do, Shingen," responded Umi, his tone now pleading and reasonable. "But were you really listening when Sensei laid out the rules for us? The first thing she said was to treat this like a mission, our goal being to bring the scroll back to her, and then she told us what we couldn't do. She never told us we'd get physically hurt by crossing the boundary, or what would really happen other than a vague threat that we would fail. How does she know that we've crossed it anyway unless she were nearby? And if she were nearby, wouldn't her own trap bite her in the butt? We'd see her coming a long ways away." Umi gestured towards the border with one hand, pointing as it began to light up in his presence. "So come on, let me try. And if we fail you can take it all out on me, deal?"

Fujo sighed and released his teammate. "Against my own better judgment, I'd say go for it. If we don't get that scroll before noon, we fail anyway. Shingen, what do you think?"

"We can try it. We're wasting time bickering..." Still, the girl could only close her eyes and wait in apprehension as Umi approached the gently glowing line, holding her breath as he crossed it.

"See? Nothing happened - " Umi began, but was cut off when Shingen let out an alarmed shriek.

"Umi! It's right above you, get back!"

Obeying the order without question, Umi rolled back onto the "safe" side of the boundary with scroll in hand, a hand that would have been missing had the same unusual chakra signature of before not come to Shingen's attention in a sudden burst. There was a faint whistling sound as something metallic and sharp swung down from above, something that the three genin recognized as a polearm with a long, skinny blade affixed to the end. "That was close," Umi muttered, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

"Then it's true, she _is_ one of them!" breathed Fujo, remembering the deadly grace of the blade and shuddering at how close it had come to injuring his teammate.

"What do you mean, _them_?" Shingen glanced around to try and find the origin of this attack.

"One of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist Village." Fujo likewise scanned the surrounding area for some sign of their elusive mentor. "I'd heard rumors about her background, but that confirms it."

"Then that puts her in the same league as Gatou," growled Umi, rising and dusting himself off. "He hired one of those Swordsmen to kill Tazuna-san!"

"Oh, you're talking about Zabuza - a most unique and talented individual, to be sure." The calm words of Kotori as they drifted over the air like a chilled breeze were unmistakable in the sudden silence that fell over the group. "I had the privilege of crossing blades with him once, and his name should not be taken nor used lightly. In fact, he was as much a monster as I am..." A light chuckle. "Although from the looks on your faces right now, I gather the term 'monster' can be quite relative."

Umi, Fujo, and Shingen turned as a unit to behold Kotori standing behind them, casually balancing the polearm over one shoulder. "So you've been here all along," grumbled Fujo when at last he could speak. "I was right!"

"And that strange chakra I felt was you," Shingen murmured, giving Kotori an assessing look. "But how could you give off an aura like that when you're just as human as the rest of us?"

"I told you all that I carry a demon inside of me. Don't you think I'd learn to use that to my advantage, suppressing my own chakra to fool anyone who doesn't know what they're looking at? By the way, Umi, you were right when you said this fog wasn't natural – it's a signature of the village I came from and bears the same name, _Kirigakure. _It may not be as 'pure' as you think the sea is, but it does have its uses. Pray that you don't get to see another demonstration of my 'impure' techniques." Kotori sighed, looking over the group with unreadable eyes. "Now, on to the more pressing topic. Two of the conditions I mentioned yesterday have been met, so this exam is now over."

The older woman swung the weapon down from her shoulder, holding it bare inches away from Umi's throat as she spoke. "I should fail you three on the spot for breaking the rules. Didn't I tell you not to cross the line?" The three traded ashamed looks but said nothing. "And yet when Umi offered to break the rules for all of you, in effect sacrificing himself, you offered only token resistance. Why is that?"

Umi swallowed dryly, doing his best not to appear nervous in spite of his precarious position. "Because sometimes you have to break the rules, sensei, and sometimes you have to risk yourself in order to make sure the mission is carried out. You said to treat this like a mission, didn't you? And what's more, you set this up knowing that we would fail either way. What kind of a test is this?"

Kotori smiled, shaking her head ruefully as she disengaged her weapon. All three genin were secretly relieved when she set it down and dismissed it with a single gesture before continuing. "And there, my young failures, is the answer. You see, it took a great deal of maneuvering to even get permission to carry out this type of exam, but I wanted to test your teamwork in a slightly different way. I knew that one of you would take the risk, but I didn't know exactly who. Hand me the scroll, please – I want you to see what was in it." She took the scroll from Umi's shaking hand and unrolled it, then held it out for them to look at. "I have to make reports on you from time to time, and this is the very first. Fujo, if you would read it aloud, please?"

Fujo blinked, then took a step forward. "To whom it may concern, the first progress report on Ijidendou Fujo, Sanguine Umi, and Shikan Shingen: Though they might seem an unruly bunch at first, their efforts are far more organized than initial perceptions may give credit. If Shingen's practical skills, Fujo's logic, and Umi's motivation are directed properly, we may have something good here! On the honor of my family, Clan Yamataki, I hereby give my recommendation that they continue training as genin of Konoha. Signed, Yamataki Kotori."

"That's right, knuckleheads, you passed," Kotori announced, rolling up the scroll and tying it shut before replacing it in her waist pouch. "Now quit staring – you all look like dead fish with your mouths hanging open like that – and gather up all of the flags. I'll let you go once you're done."

-------

"And if things go the way I think they will, you'll be seeing a lot less of me," summarized Kotori as she sat around the table with her family that evening. "They're not as bad as I thought they were."

"So you didn't rig things the way you said you would?" Ishii asked, face creased in disappointment. "I was looking forward to stories of you having to cut them loose from rope traps or something like that."

"Which do you think has greater effect on the brain, my dear son – the thought of a trap, or the thought of me watching your every move and waiting to pounce on you in the dark if you moved wrong?" Kotori asked him with a wicked grin.

The word _pounce_ earned an alarmed look from Iruka. "Don't tell me you let them see that side of you. I think they're a bit young still..."

Kotori shrugged, wincing as the gesture tugged at the still-raw scars on her shoulder. "No, although I did have to draw on her a little more than I thought I would. They would have known I was there if I hadn't." She yawned and blinked as fatigue began to set in. "In fact, I need to get some sleep. Wandering through the woods all night and spooking those three while on the edge of transforming took more out of me than I thought. Goodnight, everyone, and I'll see you in the morning."


	5. Surprise, Surprise

**5 Surprise, Surprise**  
_A Shameful Secret is Uncovered At Last._

Taiki had become used to unpleasant interruptions in the years since he'd taken the office of leadership over Lightning Country's shinobi. This one was almost predictable, considering the unconcealed agitation in the footsteps, the grumbling, and the two sharp knocks on the office door that preceded a terse greeting. "Sensei! Are you busy?"

Grinning and shaking his head over how accurate he'd become in his guessing, Taiki replied, "Not at the moment. Come on in, Kouhei."

The door opened and the silver-haired youth blew in with gale force, unsettling the papers in front of the Raikage as Kouhei slammed the door shut and strode up to the desk. "My apologies if I'm disturbing you, but I need some answers right now."

"Depends on the subject," Taiki replied, frowning at the tension showing clearly in the young man's normally calm countenance. "What's bothering you?"

"It's about the Sharingan. I know that I'm not supposed to have it, the person I got it from wasn't supposed to have it either, and the only way I have it is because that cat-demon inside my mother decided it might be amusing to play with genetics when she met my father. That's why I only have it in one eye - so why in hell does Shinya have it in both, and why didn't I find out until now?"

Taiki's blood ran cold at this last question and in spite of himself murmured his thoughts aloud. "It's finally happened. I prayed it never would, but it finally has..."

Slamming his hands down on the desk, Kouhei glared down at his teacher. "What do you mean, _it's finally happened?_ You mean you knew about this all along?"

Calmly rearranging the papers around him as a way to compose his thoughts, it was a moment before Taiki answered. "Have a seat, Kou. This may take a minute to explain." When his student had done as instructed, he finally looked back up again. "First off, do you remember whose bloodline your gift originally came from?"

"Yes, I do. Its rightful owners are members of Clan Uchiha of Konohagakure. I also happen to know that the only two surviving members of that clan are the two most emotionally oversaturated pissants I've ever heard of, one being the guy who killed off the entire family and the other his younger brother who he let survive for whatever reason," Kouhei replied, impatience creeping into his voice. "That still doesn't answer my question."

Taiki sighed, feeling a headache coming on. "You're old enough to do the math, Kouhei. I'd really rather not go into the gory details for fear of pissing your mother off – or even worse, embarrassing her – but..."

Kouhei's face went white as the implications hit home and his brain made connections that his mind was not ready to accept. "You mean to say he's one of theirs... and my brother? Up until now I'd always thought he was some kid your household took in, like an orphan or something, but I'd never imagined this. God, my family just gained another depth in the ranks of 'twisted'."

This at least merited a tired smile from Taiki. "How do you think I felt when she asked me to take care of him? If word got out at that point in time that there was someone else with Uchiha blood alive in Konoha, the consequences would have been ugly."

"So you raised him as your own this whole time, and he doesn't know the truth?" Kouhei seemed to be feeling a headache also and rubbed the bridge of his nose in quiet unrest. "Who's going to break it to him?"

"You were there when it first came up, and he already trusts you like a brother. You may as well be the one to tell him about it, and I don't envy you the task." The older man paused as a thought occurred to him. "Tell me, how did his Sharingan awaken in the first place? I've taken every precaution to make sure that nothing traumatic happened to him."

"Well, we were out training and I must have pushed him too hard. The last thing I remember before he predicted and countered my actions was using one of the Thunder Fist techniques you taught me, the 'heartstopper'..." Kouhei chuckled and rose from his seat, grimacing slightly. "I told him he couldn't leave until he got one solid hit in on me, and he fractured my femur in three places." Waving off the look of concern from the older man, Kouhei added, "Don't worry, the medics have done their usual good work, along with giving me a lecture for beating up a harmless kid like Shinya." A derisive snort. "Harmless, my foot – especially now."

-------

"So you mean to tell me this isn't my home after all, that I don't belong here because of some freak of my bloodline?" Shinya grumbled, flopping back on his bed and throwing an arm over his eyes to block the light out. "What else are you going to tell me, that my father is an emotionally depraved jerk and my mother just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Kouhei blinked at this sudden burst of perception on the youth's part and gave him a curious look. "I don't even know the whole story, but that's about it. How did you guess?"

Uncovering his eyes to openly glare at his elder, Shinya growled, "That's not even funny, Kou-san." Seeing no evidence of humor from Kouhei, Shinya covered his eyes again with a tormented moan. "And you aren't kidding either. So, are they still alive?"

"Your father, maybe, assuming his brother or any of the other numerous people that hate him haven't killed him off. And as for your mother... she's quite alive, considering she's my mother too and I'd hear about it if she weren't." A twitch ran through Shinya's frame at this news, and Kouhei risked giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "For what it's worth, I wasn't expecting this either." When this failed to elicit a response, Kouhei fell back into familiar modes with a disgruntled sigh. "All right, so what are you going to do about it? You can piss and moan all you want, but that's not going to change a thing. Hell, it sure hasn't worked for your father's side of the family, such as is left of it."

Shinya was silent for a few minutes, then moved his arm to look at Kouhei resignedly. "So, can I meet them? I want to ask them a few questions."

"I'll ask Taiki-sama if he'll let you go, and under the circumstances, I don't think he'll say no. Why don't you just lie back and rest some more while I go and ask?"

"Would you?" For the first time since the ordeal had begun, Shinya smiled, and Kouhei felt a pang of guilt. _If I hadn't been so hard on you, if I hadn't thumped you like I did, maybe this wouldn't have happened and we wouldn't be on this road. I'm sorry, kid..._

_-------_

"So where is he now?" asked Taiki as he and Kouhei talked privately after dinner that evening.

"I left him to rest in his room." Kouhei took a sip of his tea and added, "I asked him what he wanted to do about this, and he told me he wanted to find his parents and ask them some questions. Now I don't know if that's such a great idea... but I told him I would ask you, considering you are his guardian and have the ultimate choice."

Taiki frowned, feeling the headache of earlier returning. "Much as I dislike the idea, I think this may be in his best interests. Well, meeting his mother might be, anyway – I shudder to think of what'll happen at the next Clan Uchiha reunion. I tell you what, Kouhei, I'll draw up the paperwork tonight that you'll need to travel to Konoha without official interference, and you and Hana will go with him as an escort to make sure that nothing else happens to him. Does that sound like a plan?"

"I guess it's better than letting him sit around and fester, but what will we do when he asks about meeting his father?"

"We'll bridge that gap when we get to it," muttered Taiki with a sigh. "Go and let the others know that you're leaving tomorrow morning, and I'll have your travel papers ready before you leave."

-------

_Tomorrow morning?_ Shinya thought to himself after Kouhei delivered the news and left him alone again. _And with Kou and Hana along to babysit? I have to do this on my own or else everyone will treat me as the Raikage's spoiled, protected little ward for the rest of my life. Besides, I'm a member of one of Konoha's most prestigious clans! Even if there are only three of us left, I'd better start acting like I belong._ With this in mind, he began packing supplies for the trip and making plans for a quiet escape.


	6. On the Road

**6 On The Road**  
_After an Uncertain Start, the Journey Begins_

"What do you mean, missing?" Kouhei had just finished tying the knot in his headband when a panicked Hana, daughter of Taiki and his third companion for the trip, burst into his room with bad news.

"Missing as in not here anymore. Not anywhere close, either, or I would know." Hana's eyes, the pale signature of her Hyuuga ancestry, were narrowed in frustration and concern. "And trust me, I've looked."

"I don't doubt you, so don't worry." Donning a long overcoat over his usual sleeveless tunic and loose slacks, Kouhei did a quick mental check-over before leaving his room. "Also, even if he did leave in the middle of the night, he couldn't have gotten very far. Trust me on this one." He gave Hana a quick kiss on the forehead before continuing down the hall that would lead towards the home's entryway. "So, are you ready to go?"

"Ready as ever. Let's get going and track him down before he gets into trouble, huh?"

Kouhei rolled his eyes. "Couldn't have said it any better myself."

-------

After retrieving their travel documents from Taiki as well as a package to give to Shinya, Hana and Kouhei set out on foot from the village with intent to find the missing youth before beginning their trip to Konoha. An hour passed with no sign of the boy, and Kouhei grew quietly irritated. "He couldn't have gone far. If I know him the way I think I do, he's no more than five miles away, probably sitting on a rock and complaining about how he's gotten himself in over his head and how he doesn't know where to go from here. But, just to be sure..." Kneeling close to the ground, Kouhei bit down on his left thumb hard enough to make it bleed, swiped some of the blood on his right palm, formed a series of hand seals and then slapped his palm to the dirt.

A brief puff of smoke gave way to the form of a small brown pug, wearing the leaf band of Konoha and a dark blue vest. It yawned and shook itself a few times, then grumbled, "What's the meaning of this? It's too early to be calling me."

"I promise this won't take too long, Pakkun." Kouhei stood up again, sucking his thumb briefly to ease the blood flow. "It's just that Hana and I are going on a trip, and the third member of our group decided to run off early without telling us. You remember Shinya, don't you?"

The dog sighed. "Do I ever. What a wuss... You want me to find him for you?"

"If you could. We have a lot of walking to do, and this setback is bad enough."

"Sure thing." Lowering its nose to the ground, the pug began to sniff around to get a trace of his quarry, then stopped when he found what he was looking for. "This way, people."

-------

With the combined efforts of Pakkun's tracking nose and Hana's bloodline abilities enabling almost 360-degree vision, it didn't take the group long to reach the object of their search who was indeed perched on a rock, brooding at his reflection in the waters of a stream that passed below. "What did I tell you," Kouhei muttered, pondering how best to broach the situation without causing too much of a scene. That decision was taken away from him, however, by Pakkun, who trotted up to Shinya and delivered a reproving bite to the bare calf of one of the boy's shorts-clad legs.

"That's for making him wake me up, you pansy," grumbled Pakkun to the stunned boy. "Don't let it happen again." Turning a tired look back to a deadpan Kouhei and giggling Hana, the pug nodded once in farewell and added, "I'm done here. See you later" before vanishing in a similar cloud of smoke as he'd appeared in.

Shinya turned to the other two with a look of quiet shame as he massaged his sore calf. "I'm sorry if I made you two worry about me. It's just that I thought I could do this by myself, and I think I got in over my head - "

Kouhei walked up to the boy and slapped him once on the back of the head. "You're sorry? Do you have any clue what could have happened to you if you were discovered traveling alone without proper documentation? Obviously not, dimwit, so let me clue you in. If by some miracle you actually made it to Fire Country – which is doubtful considering you've never even been out of the Cloud Village – you may have been arrested, detained, and perhaps much worse. Secondly, if you ever made it, there are people there who would see you, mistake you for someone else, and would be out for your head before you could blink twice. Lastly, do you even know who you're looking for? You couldn't just walk up to the gates of Konoha and say 'Hi, do you know where I can find my mom? I think she lives here' because of those two reasons I just gave you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir. Like I said, I'm sorry..."

This elicited a deep, gusting sigh from Kouhei. "Sorry doesn't cut it. Just stay with us until we get there, all right?" He waited until Shinya nodded in acknowledgment, then set his pack down and removed the item he'd been told to pass on to the boy. "By the way, Sensei told me to give these to you as a sort of belated birthday present. You would have gotten it in person if you hadn't skipped out early."

Shinya took the tissue-wrapped package from his elder and unwrapped it carefully, then stared in puzzlement when the gift turned out to be a pair of pants, midcalf-length and deep black. "Uh, thanks...?"

"They belonged to your father, although how Taiki-sama got hold of them I dare not ask," Kouhei explained, shrugging. "He wanted you to have them now that you know who you really are."

"Turn around for a second, please?" requested Shinya with a tiny, shy smile, Kouhei and Hana choosing not to ask but to simply obey. Once they did, they heard a faint rustle of fabric and a satisfied noise. "All right, you can turn back. I just wanted to try them on... what do you know, they fit! They're comfy, too."

Smacking his own forehead with an open palm, Kouhei muttered, "I should have known. All right, if you're done playing dress-up, can we get moving?"

-------

Though the first day of their journey was long and physically strenuous, Kouhei still had difficulty sleeping when at last they made camp for the night. He had deemed it safe to make a fire and sat watching the embers late into the night, hugging his knees to his chest as he gazed into the gentle amber glow with a vaguely troubled expression. Finally Hana noticed his agitation and came to his side, sitting next to him and draping a blanket around both of them for warmth and comfort. "You don't normally look this rattled, Kou. What's wrong?"

It was some time before Kouhei replied, wrapping an arm around Hana's shoulders and pulling her closer. "I know it's not his fault, but he reminds me of that man in so many ways. Each second I spend with him grates on me like sandpaper, and there's nothing I can do but grit my teeth and deal with it." He raised his eyes from the slowly fading fire to where Shinya lay a few feet away in peaceful sleep. "He even looks like that... weasel-bastard, as Mom calls him. Do you realize just how angry that makes me?"

"I've never met the man, so I wouldn't know," Hana replied softly, "but I've heard stories."

"You're lucky. I don't know what kind of karma he has to be so pissed off at the world, but he's got it bad. What's even worse is that he and some associate of his tried to kill my mother... I was only five, but I remember it like it happened yesterday. I remember him looking into my eyes, and it was like looking straight into hell – with some technique of his, he showed me just exactly what they were going to do to her. They were going to suck the demon out of her and then dump her body like garbage, and he burned that into my mind so that I would never forget. I remember what he said, too: 'What makes you think you can stop me?' And then they were gone. When I woke up, I was in the hospital with his voice ringing in my ears like a bad echo." He glanced down at Hana and muttered, "Can you blame me if being around this kid bothers me just a little bit?"

"No, I can't blame you at all. Just be patient with him, okay? He's turned out all right so far."

"So far," Kouhei echoed and closed his eyes. "But tomorrow is a new day."

-------

The group traveled as fast as they could without drawing attention to themselves, but even so it took the better part of a week for them to cross into Fire Country. "We've been lucky so far that no one's tried to stop us," mused Kouhei as they passed through his former homeland, familiar landmarks and scenery rising to the forefront in his memories. "And if Sensei was thinking ahead, he would have sent word to Konoha that we were coming and to let us in without incident."

"But, as we all know, my father can be absentminded," Hana retorted with a teasing smile. "Even if he forgot, I think our reputations would speak enough for us – especially since you've taken your father's clan name. They wouldn't stop a member of the Hatake family from returning home."

"You'd have a better chance since you're related to the Hyuuga," Kouhei grumbled. "I still think my father's got a bug up his ass about my decision to stay in Kumogakure, even though I'm the protégé of the Raikage himself..."

Fragments of the adults' conversation drifted up to where Shinya wandered ahead on his own, and he snickered. "Either way, you've still got family that'll be happy to see you on some level," he interjected, turning on his heel as he walked so that he faced the others. "As for me, I don't know if they'll take me in or try to kill me on sight!"

"If you're that worried about it, then why did you even want to find them?" was Kouhei's cynical inquiry. "You could have saved us all a trip if you'd figured that out sooner."

"It's a risk that I have to take," Shinya replied, surprising both Kouhei and Hana with his sudden seriousness. "I've got to figure out what's so bad about me that I had to be sent away, and I can't do that by sitting at home and crying about it." A sudden hardness had drifted across the youth's face as he said this, an edge in the eyes that brought up unbidden fragments of recollection to Kouhei. _What makes you think you can stop me?_ Kouhei had to force this thought back into the shadows of the past along with the sudden flare of helpless anger that had come with it. When he opened his eyes again, Shinya was once more all youthful naivety and boundless optimism and the older man could only shake his head in amazement at the transformation. "Hey, Kou-san?"

"Hm?"

"Oh, good. It looked like you were spacing out there for a moment... but, I do have a question or two for you." Pause, then, "I can kinda tell from your face that you'd rather not talk about my father, so I won't ask you. But what can you tell me about my – er, our – mother? Do you think she'll want to see me?"

Kouhei's first reaction was a sudden wince in response to Shinya's perception, then a quiet smile. "She's been through a lot to get where she is and you can tell, but don't let her scare you." Hana let out a muted snicker at this; Kouhei made a face at her but continued. "She's tough, but fair, and you don't want to be around when she's angry... but if you're someone she cares about, she'll put her life on the line for you if necessary. As to whether she wants to see you or not..." Noting the sudden fall of Shinya's expression, he shrugged. "You really haven't given her too much of a choice, now have you?"

Shinya sighed and turned back away from the others. "You're right, I guess I haven't. We'll just have to wait and see, won't we..."

-------

It was well into nighttime a week and a half after the trio had left Kumogakure when they finally reached the gates of Konoha, and though the guards gave a strange look to the youngest member of the group, they agreed that the provided documentation was in order and let Kouhei, Hana, and Shinya pass without incident. "We'll get a room at an inn for the night. It's late, and I don't want to give my mother any surprises," reasoned Kouhei as they discussed what they would do for lodging. "Heavens know she'll have plenty to deal with in the morning."


	7. Who Are You Again?

**7 "Who Are You Again?"**  
_The Prodigal Sons of Konoha Return_

It was raining lightly the next day when the members of Kotori's team convened at her home for their next assignment. She welcomed them inside, hanging dripping outerwear up to dry in the entry before ushering them into the living room where cups of hot tea and a mysterious cardboard box awaited them on the table. The three genin gave the box curious looks but did not ask as to its contents as they sat, sipping tea and waiting for their leader to speak. Once they all were settled, Kotori looked over the assembled students with a small, amused smile. "All right. You may be pleased to know that today's a bit of an off day for you – there were no missions available at your level that I deemed appropriate for your training. Before you get too happy, though, remember that you are still under my command. If others cannot provide a task that I believe to be beneficial for all parties, then I'll come up with something."

Fujo took a sip of his tea and gave the jounin a curious look. "But with all due respect, Sensei, the weather might preclude any physical training..."

Kotori's smile widened. "Outdoor activities, yes." Rising from her seat, she leaned forward and opened the box, withdrawing a few items which she passed to her students. "For you, Fujo, dust rags. Tile cleaner and a sponge for you, Umi... and you, Shingen, you'll be helping me with the laundry. I've been letting it pile up for far too long."

"Cleaning, Sensei?" Umi asked incredulously. "I don't see the point..."

This at least merited an eyebrow lift. "You think this is pointless? Think of it, then, as an exercise in attention to detail, a test of your bravery even. Now let's get moving!"

-------

Breakfast was a subdued affair among the trio from the Cloud Village, none of them having slept well the previous night albeit for entirely different reasons. Kouhei, for reasons of paranoia, had insisted on the three sleeping in one room despite Hana's muted pleas for privacy. "We'll have plenty of time by ourselves later on," Kouhei had told her when Shinya had made a brief exit to use the bathroom. "But until we have established the fact in the public eye that he isn't his father, I'm not going to let him sleep alone."

Hearing his name mentioned in conversation but at the same time correctly gathering that he was not intended to be privy to the discussion, Shinya had paused outside the door to listen. "What, are you afraid someone is going to put a knife in him in the middle of the night just because you aren't here to guard him?" Hana was saying, voice rising in protest until Kouhei made a shushing sound. "Bless your paranoia, Kou, it's kept us safe many a time – but this is taking it too far! Why on earth do we need to babysit him now? He's eighteen years old and perfectly capable of taking care of himself."

Kouhei sighed impatiently, a sound that Shinya knew all too well. "In the Cloud Village, maybe, but that's because there are very few people there who would get the Raikage's ward confused with an S-rank criminal missing-nin! Itachi killed his best friend to gain the highest level of his clan's bloodline limit, and then massacred the whole clan for the simple reason of testing his skills. He's a murderer, Hana, and he did awful things to my mother. I thought I'd explained all of this to you, but apparently you didn't grasp the full point – I will not let Shinya, an innocent, be killed because of mistaken bad blood. I'm sorry if that puts a dent in your personal life, but it's something you're going to have to put up with just a little while longer, okay?"

Thinking back to the reflection that had greeted him in the bathroom mirror only minutes ago as he'd brushed his teeth, Shinya could not help but shiver. _Is that what people see when they see me – a criminal? That's not fair... _It was Hana's turn to sigh, but she nonetheless murmured agreement and all was silent again. Shinya waited a beat before coughing just loud enough to be heard and carefully pulling the door open. "Is it okay for me to come in, or do you two need some more time by yourselves?"

"No, we're fine," Kouhei answered, giving the boy a studying look. "Did you overhear anything?"

Keeping his face carefully neutral, Shinya put as much innocence into his tone as he felt he could get away with. "Er, no... should I have?" The older male shook his head in a negative, and the topic was considered closed. So it was with agitation and worry all around that the trio attempted to sleep, and with that in mind they awoke unrested when dawn came with accompanying rain.

-------

"I'll go and visit with my mother's family for today," Hana announced as they finished their breakfast. "She sent a few messages that she wants me to pass on, and I haven't spent nearly as much time with her side of the family as I'd like. Is that okay with both of you?"

Shinya shrugged listlessly, and Kouhei grunted noncommittally as he sipped a cup of coffee in an attempt to wake himself up. "Do as you will. You know where to find me once you're done." Once the young woman had gone, Kouhei looked at his younger brother thoughtfully. "Let me know when you're ready to leave, and we'll get going. Mother may not be at home, but we can at least leave a message to let her know we're here and want to see her." Chuckling at the puzzled glance this earned in reply, he explained, "She recently was selected to jounin rank, and from what I've heard she's already been assigned a cell to train and is quite busy. It's been a dream of hers since she was young – or so she told me – but I wonder if it's all she thought it would be..."

"And how old is she now?" Shinya wondered, taking a drink of his own coffee.

"Early forties," answered Kouhei, eliciting a surprised squeak from his brother. "And before you start thinking of how old that is, wait until you hear a few stories from her as to just what she's gone through to get to this point. I may be biased, but I'm thinking she could still kick the ass of anyone your age – so don't say she's past her prime."

"In that case, I'm ready to meet her whenever you're ready to go," the boy said, getting up from the table and stretching. "Maybe I can learn a few things from her."

-------

"And these go where?" Shingen asked, pointing to the stack of freshly laundered and folded towels in front of her.

"Sensei, I'm out of tile cleaner," came an interjection from Umi, along with a percussive sneeze from Fujo.

"Already?" Kotori sighed. "Write it on the list up on the fridge, I'll go and get some when I get the groceries this afternoon." To Shingen she said, "Put them in the closet upstairs. When you get back, I'll have some clothes for you to bag up for the neighborhood rummage sale..." Sighing, she wandered into the kitchen to put the kettle on for another round of tea and then braved the disaster area that was her son Ishii's room to retrieve the pile of castoffs that she'd told him to set aside earlier. These she tossed into a pile at the foot of the stairs, then went into her youngest daughter's room to perform the same task albeit with greater ease. A faint shriek told her that the kettle was ready; she returned to the kitchen to take it off of the stove and was surprised to see that it was no where even close to boiling. "Where'd that noise come from, then?"

Shingen then came pelting down the stairs, eyes wide in fright as if she'd just seen a ghost. "Sensei! I'm so sorry, Sensei, but I dropped the towels when I – when I saw - " The girl paused, trying to compose herself, and the next words came out in a whisper. "I saw a jar, like what you see in a doctor's office, except it had – I think – a man's - "

Kotori's blood turned to ice for a moment when she realized the problem, and then her face flamed bright red when she realized her mistake. "No, Shingen, I should be the one that's sorry. I should have been more specific and told you to put them in the upstairs hall closet, not the one in my bedroom..." She shook her head. "And yes, that is what you thought it was. It's a long story, though, so just forget about it for now, okay?" She gave Shingen a comforting pat on the shoulder. "I'll tell you what. Go and get the others – it's time for us to take a break." Shingen nodded shakily and trotted off to retrieve her two teammates, just in time for the kettle to start whistling for real. Kotori took the kettle off of the burner and shut off the stove, moving for the cabinet where she stored the cups when she heard a voice calling at the door. "I'll be there in just a minute..."

She pulled the door open cautiously and let out a squeal of joy when she saw who was there. After surreptitiously verifying that it was indeed the genuine article, she waved her oldest son in and bid him to put his rain gear with that of the others before wrapping him in a generous, bone-crushing hug. "Kouhei! It's been too long since you last came by. How are you doing?"

"Just... fine, Mother," gasped Kouhei, returning the hug and breathing in deeply when she at last released him. "I wasn't sure if you'd be home, since you have your cell to train and all."

"I do, and they're here too if you want to meet them. I've dragged them into helping me tidy up this place... it's also been too long since I've given the house a good cleaning." Kotori shook her head ruefully at this admission, but laughed it off as she patted her son on the back affectionately. "Come on in, sit down! We were just about ready to take a break."

Kouhei smiled carefully and stepped away towards the living room. "Don't mind if I do. However, there's one more person that I brought along..." He cleared his throat pointedly, and another figure made their way in from the outside. "He came all the way from Kumogakure just to see you, Mother. Please be kind."

The visitor closed the door behind them and likewise removed their outerwear, including a hood that had covered their face until this point. Kotori could only stare and feel the blood slowly drain from her face at the profile revealed. _"She doesn't need her dignity to die..." Gods, I'd hoped never to see that face again. Why now?_

Blinking in mild confusion, the young man ventured a timid "Um... hello, Mother..."

"Hello, Shinya." Kotori then fainted dead away, her body making a hollow thud as it hit the tile of the entry.

Kouhei spun around in alarm, staring when he saw his mother collapsed unconscious on the floor. "What did you do?" he yelled at Shinya, who had also gone pale and now took a few unsteady steps back towards the door. "No, don't you even think about going outside right now. If she fainted, think about what anyone else will do when they see you!" Shinya obeyed the order and stopped, hovering and unsure of how to act. Kouhei grumbled in agitation, unsure of what to do either and finally snapped, "Just go into the living room, sit down, and don't move until you're called. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," the boy stammered and went into the living room, acknowledging the stares turned upon him by three pairs of younger eyes with a shaky smile.

Giving the stranger a dubious look, Fujo jumped up from the table and went out to the foyer, his medical upbringing taking precedence as he responded to the situation. Kneeling by the older woman, he performed a few basic diagnostics while his teammates and Kouhei waited nearby for news. "Well, it looks like she'll be fine. If anything, she suffered a minor concussion from where her head hit the floor, but other than that... I'd say she's done with any serious activity for today, though, so just let her rest and wake up on her own." Glancing back over his shoulder to where Shinya nervously perched on the living room sofa, he added, "And would someone mind telling me why she fainted when she saw him?"

Kouhei sighed and scratched his head as he tried to come up with a suitable explanation. "That, my young friend, is a long story."


	8. Just Passing Through

**8 Just Passing Through**  
_A Visit from the Sage-in-Training and Her Pervy Father_

"Just wait here. I promise I won't take long," said the girl to her amphibian companion, sighing when it grumbled a peevish response. "You're a toad, for pete's sake! Don't tell me you don't like rain." Another complaint, and she patted it comfortingly on the head. "If it makes you feel any better, Gamatatsu, I'm not thrilled about doing his errands in this kind of weather either. I'll get both of us a snack once this is done, okay? And then once we get done with all of this you can go and tell your dad just how much a creep Jiraiya is, making us run around in a rainstorm..." This at least met with reluctant approval; the girl then hopped down off of the toad's back and ran for the nearest building, cursing with each soggy step that she'd forgotten to bring an umbrella.

Ignoring the stares and double-takes her appearance garnered from the various inhabitants once she got inside, she briefly shook the clinging raindrops from her loose gray clothing and unruly white hair before proceeding on to her destination. "I wonder if Hokage-sama had to do all of this when he was studying with my dad. Sometimes it just gets on my nerves... I'm his daughter first, his apprentice second, but in no way does that mean I'm his monkey-girl!" Muttering to herself the whole trip, the girl made her way up to the room just outside the Hokage's office where his assistant usually waited, processing correspondence and putting order to what could otherwise be a hectic job. She was surprised to note that a buxom blonde sat at the desk, feet kicked up next to Naeko's prized typewriter while their owner napped, a book over her face to block out the light. "Nikkou, is that you?"

The response was immediate, the blonde snapping to full alertness as she sat upright, removed her feet from the desk, and hid the book. "I'm sorry – did you need something?" She blinked as she looked closer at her visitor, then beamed brightly and jumped up to give the younger girl a hug. "Hi hi, Jura-chan! Wow, you've finally come back to us!"

Blushing and untangling herself from Nikkou's overenthusiastic embrace, Jura stepped back and did her best to smooth her again-untidy appearance. "I was here two months ago, Nikkou. It's not like I'm a stranger... But we can chat later. I'm here on official business."

Mewing disappointedly, Nikkou sank back down into her chair and glowered up at Jura. "Spoilsport. So what's the deal?"

A shrug and eye-roll. "Oh, the usual. Running around being my father's little toady, if you'll excuse the term. Are there any messages for him?"

Nikkou was plainly unused to her mother's filing system as she fumbled around the various nooks and crannies of the desk. "Um, not that I can see for now. Come back later when my mom's here, she should be able to tell you."

Jura sighed and shook her head ruefully. "I don't know what your family would do without her sometimes. So tell me, what's wrong enough that she would yank you away from proctor duties at the Academy to play secretary?"

The blonde shrugged. "She's been feeling kinda under the weather for the past week or so, and Dad finally made her go to the doctor today. It's weird, you know? The plague couldn't keep her away from this job, and now she can't keep anything down. And you know how nasty it is watching someone get sick in public."

A sympathetic wince. "All right, I'll come back tomorrow. I don't think my father will mind missing his messages for a day; hell, he's probably off at the baths doing 'research'."

Nikkou snickered and nodded in agreement. "No doubt he is. A pervert's still a pervert, no matter how old he gets, eh?" The two said their farewells and Jura trotted back out to finish whatever tasks remained. Nikkou kicked her feet back up on the desk but blinked when she noticed an important-looking envelope under one of her heels, wasting no time in digging it out and reading it. Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes traced over the words, which she then repeated aloud to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "Kouhei's here? Woohoo! Maybe this will be the time I win him back from that pale-eyed freak-girl Hana!" A frown then crossed Nikkou's usually pleasant visage when she read the rest of the message. "But who's this other guy they're talking about bringing with them? I'd better get this message to Kotori-san..." She stopped up short, then glared up at the clock. "When Mom gets back, whenever that is. I can't leave until then."

-------

Leaving Kotori in the capable hands of Fujo and the others, Kouhei politely excused both himself and Shinya and went back outside into the rain. They silently retraced their steps back to the inn, Shinya only venturing to speak once they were in their room. "I guess... that could have gone a lot better, couldn't it," he muttered glumly, sitting down on the edge of his bed and resting his chin in his hands. "I must really frighten her to make her faint like that."

Kouhei was momentarily at a loss for words, making several frustrated attempts at speech before giving up and lapsing into silence again. When he at last knew what to say, his words were low and Shinya had to listen carefully to hear. "I know you overheard my conversation with Hana last night, so I won't repeat what I said. Just know that it's not anything you've done, okay? It's not your fault that people act like they do." Deeming that sufficient, Kouhei shrugged. "Whatever – you know what I'm trying to say. I'm going to the baths to relax for a little bit, and you might want to come along."

-------

"Well, Tatsu, I'd say we're done for now," Jura told the toad after she exited the bookstore, placing a money pouch back inside her tunic for safekeeping. "Father'll be glad to know that his stuff is selling as well as ever, but he's going to wince when he sees just how much he owes Mother for royalties. Everything with her in it, in whatever form, just seems to sell faster..." Giving the toad another friendly pat, she added, "Go ahead and go now. I'll call you when I need you again." Gamatatsu nodded once and vanished, leaving Jura alone to proceed on foot to her ultimate destination.

She was not surprised to see that the baths were almost unoccupied, noting that the weather had gotten worse and figuring that most citizens with common sense had decided to stay at home. "If there's no one here, then he'll no doubt have gone to greener pastures." Jura was about ready to give up and search for her father elsewhere when the sound of voices from the mens' bath caught her attention and caused something to stir in her blood. "Well, what do you know? Guess it's time for me to do some 'research' of my own." Fading into invisibility, the girl made her way to a spot that she'd staked out long ago as a prime viewing location and peered inside. Her efforts were rewarded by the sight of two young men lounging in the hot water, but her excited grin soon faded when she recognized one of them. "Damnit, it's only my brother. He's aged well, but that's all I can say about that... Well,_hello!_ Who do we have here? I wish I'd brought a camera, because hot damn! He's about my age, too..."

-------

Shinya inhaled once and then exhaled deeply, feeling accumulated stress seeping from his muscles under the effect of the hot waters of the bath. _Maybe everything will be all right after all,_ he thought, then tensed when he heard Kouhei mutter something disgustedly under his breath. "What's wrong, Kou-san?"

"We're being watched," Kouhei growled, sending a pointed look towards one part of the bathhouse wall. "Her stealth technique has improved over the years, but I can still sense it when my Sharingan is active." He narrowed his eyes in focus, scowling as he did so. "What can I say, though? The apple does not fall far from the tree, and I'll bet our dear sister will be properly horrified once she hears who you are."

Something turned in Shinya's stomach upon hearing the word _sister,_ and he turned a horrified look on his older brother. "If she's our sister... then why is she looking?"

"She's like her father in more ways than one. Perversity runs in her genes," was the terse response. "Besides, she doesn't know that you're related... yet."

-------

Ice ran through Jura's veins when she heard her older brother's words. "That chunk of juvenile beefcake is _also_ my brother? No way! He's just too hot! I think I'm gonna be sick..."

-------

A smirk crossed Kouhei's face as both he and Shinya plainly heard the retching sound from the other side of the wall. "She knows now. Turnabout's fair play, though, wouldn't you say?"

"I... I think I'm ready to leave now," was the younger man's reply.

-------

Velvety darkness greeted Kotori when she returned to consciousness, but she could tell she was dreaming by the ring of faces that looked down on where she lay. "What the hell are you all doing here?" she mumbled, massaging the sore spot on the back of her head as she glanced from face to face.

"We figured that now is as good a time as any to get through to you, considering that you rarely ever listen to us when you're awake," answered the first, who Kotori recognized with a blink as Taiki. "Be openminded, Tori-chan, and know that you can find beauty in everything." Her former teammate then vanished, giving her his signature brilliant grin before fading from view.

A sneeze itching in her sinuses alerted her to the next presence, a familiar masked face glancing idly up from a pink-covered book to murmur, "Not everything is as awful as you think it is."

"And for gods' sake, quit being such a tightass," came the third voice, the irascible tones of the Nekomata. "I thought you'd have learned that after living with me all this time."

The next personality to emerge caused Kotori to recoil in remembered terror as she looked up into the blood-red eyes. "Learn from your past, but don't dwell on it."

Kotori breathed a sigh of relief as the elder of the two surviving Uchiha brothers faded from her consciousness, but her relief was short-lived as a massive burning rash began its slow creep across her skin. "Hell no, not him... not the Pervert King..."

-------

Fujo frowned in concern as he watched Kotori's face twitch in various reactions to some unseen event. "I don't know what's going on in her mind, but she's not waking up. It's been almost an hour now and this can't be good."

"What do we do now?" quavered Shingen. "We'll be in so much trouble if she dies!"

"Maybe Iruka-sensei will know how to wake her up," guessed Umi, then shook his head. "He's at the Academy right now, though, and I don't want to bother him over something like this."

The front door slid open unannounced, the newest visitor shaking the rain from his clothes and massive mane of white hair before entering and kicking his shoes off. "Oh, Tori-chan - " Noticing suddenly that his would-be hostess was unconscious on the floor, the stranger's dark eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion. "All right, what's going on here? It's too early in the day for this one to be drinking, unless of course it's_that time..._ but if that were true then none of you should be here. Who are you, anyway?"

Silence reigned for the next long moment, the three genin trading puzzled glances before looking back up at the stranger. "No, sir, she hasn't been drinking. She just got a nasty surprise and fainted, that's all." Gathering up his resolve, Fujo focused a glare on the older man and added, "We're Kotori-sensei's new students, the cell she's been assigned to train. Who are you to address her so casually?"

This at least brought the visitor up short. He moved as if to strike a pose, then thought better of it. "Of course, you three would be too young to recognize me. I'm one of the Legendary Sannin – Jiraiya, the Holy Toad Sage, and one of your teacher's... _ahem, _special friends." When even this failed to impress the genin, Jiraiya rolled his eyes and made a shooing motion with his hands. "Please, allow me some space to work. I know exactly how to wake this one up."

Shingen, Umi, and Fujo once again traded dubious glances but nonetheless backed away to a safe distance. Getting a bad feeling about what would momentarily transpire, Shingen squeezed her eyes shut in dread but could not speak other than to let a worried squeak escape her lips. Umi received the same bad sensation but could not look away, and Fujo watched the proceedings carefully to see if he could learn anything from this esteemed personality. The visitor knelt next to the still-twitching Kotori, looking down thoughtfully over her pale face and trembling body, then leaned in closer. "Is he attempting mouth-to-mouth?" Umi whispered to Fujo. "It's not like Sensei stopped breathing or anything like that."

"No, Umi, he's not." The other boy's face was a classic study in disgust as he continued watching for another few seconds, then looked away with a vaguely nauseous expression. "He must be a very special friend indeed, because I think there's tongue involved and I don't even want to know where those hands are going."

The unorthodox attempt at resuscitation worked, however, because the heretofore-unconscious Kotori's eyes now flew open in fiery rage. In a movement almost too fast to track, one iron-hard fist slammed into her assailant and sent him flying into the living room where he luckily landed on the sofa in a groaning pile of uncoordinated limbs. Kotori sat up gagging and reflexively spat, a thin line of saliva and blood splattering the tile next to her as she wiped her mouth clean and shivered again. "How dare you, you _asshole!_ You know better than that, and in front of my students too? Goddamn exhibitionist degenerate..."

"A special friend of yours, Sensei?" Umi inquired, trying futilely to hide a grin. "Please tell me you bit his tongue off."

"Tried my best to, but I think I only got part of it," the jounin muttered, giving herself one last shake before propping herself up on her elbow. She gingerly probed the sore spot on the back of her head, wincing as she did so. "So tell me, Jiraiya, did you come here just to embarrass me for old times' sake, or do you actually have a valid reason?"

The door opened once more at this point, revealing a girl perhaps eighteen years in age and garbed almost identically to the man Kotori had sent flying. "I should have figured he'd come here," she mused, closing the door after her and removing her shoes. "Is everything okay, Mother? You don't look well."

Kotori managed a dry chuckle, shaking her head. "Today just isn't my day, Jura. The last person on earth I'd expect to show up decides to pay a visit, I faint, and then your wonderful father decides to engage in an ill-advised session of tonsil hockey to try and wake me up."

"It worked, though," Umi interjected, looking up at the girl's statuesque profile with undisguised admiration. "You're Sensei's daughter?"

Turning her attention to the genin for a moment, Jura grinned wearily and replied, "One of them," before stepping past the foyer and into the living room. The others could only watch as she knelt next to the sofa and checked the figure reclining there for healthy vital signs. She frowned once and then waved her hand in front of Jiraiya's face, hoping for a reaction and then snapping her fingers once or twice when the first gesture didn't work. "Hello, are you in there?" The older man said something too low for anyone else to hear, except for Kotori apparently who shuddered and looked away. "What? Speak up, I can't hear you."

"It was heaven, I tell you. I was touching heaven, even if only for a minute..."

The young woman shook her head as if unable to believe what she was hearing. "But then she punched you straight to hell. Will you be all right, Daddy?"

Managing to stand on shaky legs, Kotori wobbled towards the stairs. "All right, if anyone needs me, I'm going to lie down in my bedroom. Do not let that man" she pointed out towards the living room "within ten feet of me, or you won't even live to regret it. You all are welcome to stay for dinner, so try to keep yourself constructively, _quietly_ occupied until then. Watch TV or something, I don't care." With that pronouncement, Kotori withdrew to the upstairs and left those downstairs to their own devices. _What a day, _she mentally groaned as she stretched out on her bed and closed her eyes again._And the sad thing is, it ain't over yet. I still have to explain Shinya to them, and that's going to be a picnic and a half. _Pushing this out of her mind, she then consigned herself to the restorative embrace of deep sleep.


	9. Dodging Ghosts

**9 Dodging Ghosts**  
_Attempts to Avoid the Past, Successful and Otherwise._

"She hates me," Shinya moaned dispiritedly, leaning on the windowsill and gazing out over the rain-soaked village. "She took one look at me and fainted. That's just great for a first impression, isn't it..."

"Shit happens," replied Kouhei, sitting nearby and leafing through a magazine. "Now get away from the window before someone sees you."

Shinya grudgingly obeyed, retrieving his own reading material from his pack and sitting down across from his brother. "You really think people will mistake me for my father, don't you."

"You look just like him, and people are stupid." Kouhei shot his sibling a dark look over the top of the magazine. "Just take me at my word when I say that your father's side of the family has some serious issues and that people will panic if they get the wrong idea, which is bound to happen if we don't handle this very carefully."

"And making my mother freak out on our first reunion is handling things carefully? Whatever."

Making a disgusted noise, Kouhei rolled up the magazine and lunged across the table, fetching Shinya a hefty whack across the head. "Handling this carefully is making sure people realize you aren't like your father... or your uncle, for that matter, and with the way you're griping that isn't very likely." Something in Shinya's face – evidence of a deeper hurt than a casual swat over the head – told Kouhei to back off, and he settled back into his seat with a sigh. "Things will be all right, Shinya. Calm down."

-------

Kotori stirred from her rest about half an hour later, hearing the light tread of footsteps on the bedroom floor and opening her eyes to watch Iruka going through his usual homecoming routine. He sensed her gaze on him and turned slightly to look back at her with a quietly concerned smile, saying, "You didn't tell me we were having a party, dear. What's the occasion?"

"None, at least this time," Kotori answered, sitting up and running her hands over her face to erase any sign of unease. "Everyone just... decided to show up."

"Okay, I'll buy that for now." One last searching look revealed that Kotori's attempts at composure had failed grandly and, leaving this indicator alone for the time being, Iruka hung his flak vest up in the closet next to Kotori's matching gear. "I guess I need to go and get some takeout, don't I? Something tells me you aren't up to cooking tonight." He selected a heavier coat from the closet and tossed over to her, then picked a similar garment for himself and put it on. "We can walk and talk, so let's get going before the rest of the tribe gathers."

Kotori put her jacket on and rose from the bed, mind still swirling with the weight of the task ahead of her. "Just promise you won't get too upset, all right?"

"In the time I've known you, Kotori, you've hit me with some real shockers," Iruka said, ushering her along with a light touch to her arm, "so I don't think anything you have to say to me now will surprise me."

-------

" 'Don't go near the window, Shinya. Stay put. Don't run off, idiot, someone might see you and want to kill you.' Honestly, does he think I'm stupid?" Shinya glared at the door which had closed earlier behind Kouhei, who had departed about fifteen minutes prior on the pretext of buying something for dinner. "I'm not a kid anymore, I know when and how to be careful. Besides, I'm going stir-crazy locked up in here. No one's going to be out and about, so it'll be okay if I go for a little walk."

Any potential exit routes had been taken care of before Kouhei's departure, but after a moment's analysis Shinya had figured out his means of escape from confinement. The catch on the window shutters came loose after only a few dexterous finger movements, and Shinya slipped through the window out into the rain with a satisfied grin. "He forgets that I know how to jimmy a lock," Shinya muttered as he dropped to the street below, looked from side to side to make sure he hadn't been observed, then trotted away to find some means of entertainment. "He taught me himself, after all. Kou-san's getting distracted in his age, that's for sure."

-------

The foul weather that draped Konoha showed no signs of letting up, and Kotori found the sense of seclusion it brought to be oddly comforting as she walked arm-in-arm with her husband under an umbrella through the streets of the village. Though they had a set destination, they wandered seemingly without course and it was after a short time of this that she realized he was giving her a chance to gather her thoughts. _I may as well spit it out now, rehearse what I'm going to tell everyone else._ "I'm sorry for the circus downstairs when you got home. It started out with the squad helping me clean, and then everyone else just sort of... descended. Kind of odd how that happens."

"Yeah, I guess so." A mild laugh. "So that's why I have so many clean shirts! You dragged one of your poor students into doing your laundry, huh? And it's a good thing someone took care of the downstairs bathroom – it was starting to look a little bit scary."

"Waste not, want not," Kotori replied, shrugging. _Well, here goes._ "Kouhei came by today too, and he brought Shinya with him."

"Oh, you mean the one of your bunch that I haven't met? He's the other one that you sent to the Cloud Village, right?"

Kotori sighed, thinking, _This is going to be like pulling teeth, isn't it?_ "Yes, and once you meet him, you'll see the reason why."

Snicker, then, "Kotori, what did I say earlier? You have very little left that can shock me."

"Oh, well, this is a big one." She paused, bit her lip as she tried to choose the right words. "Out of all of them, he's the one that the Cat didn't have any say in. Neither of us wanted what happened, but it's not like you're really focused on that when you've got bigger things on your mind – say, getting ready to die from having a demon sucked out of you." She paused for effect, then added, "Let's just say that if the two elders of Clan Uchiha finally decide to wipe each other off the map, their bloodline won't be completely lost."

This last statement brought Iruka up short, staring down at Kotori in bald startlement. "Wait a second. You mean to tell me that – Shinya's an Uchiha? And his father is - " Kotori nodded without speaking, not wishing for him to say the name aloud. "Good god, I think you may have just found something after all. Why did you wait so long to tell me?"

"It's hard to tell other people when you don't even want to face the facts yourself," Kotori mumbled, looking away but barely seeing. "I'm sorry to to have kept this from you."

"Kinda makes my own big news seem unimportant." Iruka resumed walking, the rambling ease of earlier gone as he thought over this latest development and its potential consequences. "I asked for permission to retire and it was granted. After this month is up, I can finally rest."

Kotori laughed awkwardly, relieved at the change of subject but at the same time not sure how to react. "That's great, dear, but what will you do? You'll go crazy in no time without students to boss around."

A pointed eyebrow raise. "No, that seems to be your job now. I'll catch up on my reading, maybe take up gardening or something like that – either way, I'll have more time to spend around the house so that you can do your thing. It's not like we're hurting for money with the royalties from your," blush as he tried to find the right description, "uh, side job."

Kotori could not help blushing as well when she realized what he was talking about. "So you figured out that was me, huh?"

The blush deepened, a mumbled reply following. "It's kind of obvious..."

-------

"So far, so good," Shinya muttered under his breath as he checked for what seemed like the hundredth time to make sure he wasn't being followed. "This is a lot better than being locked up in that room, no matter what Kou-san has to say about it." Catching himself using the more formal form of his brother's name, he chuckled and mused, "It's hard to break the habit, I guess. I'll probably be calling him that until one of us dies." This last thought chilled him for some reason, and in his pause to figure out why he bumped into a lone pedestrian whose view was blocked by an armful of packages and parcels.

The stranger's quiet stream of complaints, barely audible over the rain, stopped suddenly upon collision, punctuated by a sharp "Hey, watch it" and grumble as he stooped to pick up his dropped burdens. Shinya, without thinking, moved to help him gather his possessions as had been grilled into him by years of training in courtesy and manners and was rewarded with a grudging mutter of thanks. The youth looked up to reply in kind and froze in his tracks when he saw the stranger's face – similar enough to his own for a creeping sense of immediate doom to congeal in his veins – and was met with an expression that ranged first to puzzlement, then to disgust, and then to outright rage. "Who the hell - !"

Shinya did not wait for him to complete the phrase, survival instincts taking precedence over politeness and jolting him into movement. His heart sunk even further when he realized that he was being followed, a low moan of dread rising from the pit of his stomach when he saw that his pursuer was gaining. "Why him? Why now? Oooo, I should have just stayed put – _gyaaa!"_

Something sharp and strong hooked him by the collar, lifting him away from the street and into the air. His first thought was to struggle, thinking that this might give it motivation to let go, and would have done so had he not heard a girl's voice chastising him from above. "Dammit, I'm trying to help. Stop wiggling around or he's going to drop you, okay? It's bad enough that you've riled up one of the Emo Brothers, but I wouldn't want the responsibility on me if you fell and went splat."

Craning his neck upwards to the source of the voice, Shinya flinched when he saw that he was being carried along in the talons of an oversized raven. His viewing angle prevented him from getting a full glimpse of the girl controlling the bird, and after some minutes of flight he called up to her, "Hey, I think we're safe now. Mind putting me down?"

"Oh, right. Sorry about that." In the time since acquiring her passenger, the girl had guided the bird towards one of the village's practice fields and now eased it down until Shinya's feet touched the ground, after which he was carefully released. His rescuer joined him moments later, dismissing the bird and then spending a few seconds smoothing down hair and clothing that had been rumpled by their swift passage.

"Honestly, kid, you really should be more careful," she now said, fixing him with a rueful smile that made him forget about the continuing rain for a moment. "Especially with that Sasuke. He's a touchy kind of guy in the first place, even worse now that his wife's going through another one of her bitchy phases and is running him around like an errand boy – but you! You really did something to get on his nerves." She raised a hand and tossed off a casual salute, causing the lock of hair that concealed half of her face to flick aside and reveal one blue eye at odds with her visible black. "Hats off to you, kid. You really made my day."

Shinya felt his face grow hot under the continued focus of her smile, coughed uneasily and looked away. "Oh, um, no problem. And thanks for picking me up, by the way – there'd be at least two people in my family kind of upset if I, um, went splat. My mom, for one – even though I made her faint when she saw me today... and my brother who no doubt wants to kill me now for leaving and getting into trouble."

"Your mom, huh? Do you live around here?" The girl now moved for the shelter of some nearby trees, beckoning him to follow. "I'm only visiting, myself. My dad sent me back here from the Cloud Village to be a diplomat, sort of – the name's Tomoe, Clan Yamada. Who are you?"

"I'm – Shinya. Still working out the family thing... I'll get back to you once I've got it figured out." _Clan Yamada of the Cloud Village – she's related to Taiki-sama!_

Tomoe's grin widened when she heard this, a disbelieving cast to her features as she shook her head and said, "So you made your mother faint, your brother wants to kill you, you pissed off the village's resident drama queen, and you're having an identity crisis? Today really isn't your day, Shinya."

Shinya could not help a laugh at Tomoe's forthright assessment of his situation. "Well, it's not exactly so much of an identity crisis – to put it one way, you might say I'm a bastard's bastard."

Tomoe shrugged this off and slapped Shinya on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "I'm my own aunt, so I can understand where you're coming from. Looks like the rain's letting up, so let's get you some dry clothes and some dinner. Sound good?"

"So long as it's not by bird again." Shinya reached back, touched the stretched fabric of his collar, and winced. "I'm enough of a wreck as is."


End file.
